Here’s a different beef mince recipe idea for you – a hearty Beef & Lentil Soup with vegetables! Adapted from my Best Ever Lentil Soup with the addition of ground beef and Moroccan-inspired spicing for extra tastiness, lentil soups can be so boring … but not this one!
Healthy, hearty, economical and a complete dinner made in one pot. Yessss…..
New beef mince recipe idea: Beef & Lentil Soup!
This is a hearty lentil soup loaded up with lots of vegetables and the convenience of ground beef for the meat! Why don’t we use beef mince in soup more often? It’s so handy and economical, it soaks up flavour and makes this one-pot hearty meal a very low-effort endeavour.
My sort of Wednesday night dinner!
I like to brown the beef using spices to incorporate flavour into it which then seeps into the soup broth. So this is a whole lot tastier than the usual lentil soups that have a bad reputation for being bland and boring……😇
I like to add a sprinkling of Moroccan flavours in this to add interest. But there’s so many possibilities using whatever you’ve got! Curry, Greek, Italian, Mexican… I’ve suggested some in the recipe notes!
What goes in Beef & Lentil Soup
Here’s what you need to make this:
Beef – Ground beef / beef mince. Same thing, different name, depending on where you are in the world! Use lean beef if you prefer, though the fattier it is, the better beef flavour you will get (because fat is actually where most of the flavour is with any meat). Substitute with any other ground meat – pork, chicken, turkey, even lamb. All you will need to do is adjust the spice quantities a bit – the whiter the meat, the more spice you will need (because the meat flavour is more neutral in mince form because the meat doesn’t brown like when searing, for example, a whole chicken breast);
Lentils – Dried lentils works really well here because you get a bit of extra flavour and thickening of the broth. But canned will work just fine too. Substitute: Chickpeas or beans!
You can use canned lentils if you want, but dried lentils taste better plus they thicken the soup broth a bit.
Onion & garlic – Essential and standard flavour bases for the soup;
Moroccan spices – This is where you can add any flavour you want! And it’s really easy to figure out how much to use. Start conservatively, add it bit by bit and taste, and keep adding as needed until it tastes right to you. I kept the base recipe simple by using store bought Moroccan spice mix as my main flavour, then spruced it up with a bit of extra spices. See recipe notes for a list of suggestions – go global!
Canned crushed tomato – or tomato passata, what’s called tomato sauce in the US (it’s tomato passata + a touch of flavour) or even my tomato paste substitute for canned tomato, click here for the recipe;
Beef stock/broth – For big hearty beef flavour. However vegetable or chicken stock/broth will work a treat here. For soups, I do recommend buying stock in liquid form rather than using cubes or powder because the flavour is cleaner and more natural. If you only have bouillon cubes or powder, that will work fine but sauté the onion, celery and carrots slowly for longer. This will form a terrific soffrito flavour base to compensate. Directions are in the recipe;
Vegetables! Use 6 – 8 cups of anything you want that cooks well in soup broth! I’ve included an extensive list in the recipe notes. I typically firstly add vegetables that can hold up to a 25-minute simmer at the beginning (eg. carrots, celery), then vegetables I want to stay greener and/or not turn into mush towards the end (eg. beans, zucchini). It also depends how big you cut them – I’ve diced them so you get a bit of everything in each spoonful.
How to make Beef Lentil Soup
And here’s how to make it:
Mix the spices in a bowl first – We’re going to use some to brown the beef, and some to flavour the soup broth;
Cook onion, beef – Sauté the onion and garlic (essential flavour base!) then brown the beef, breaking it up as you go (flat edge wooden spatula makes short work of this);
Brown beef with spices – Add some of the spices and cook it with the beef. Here we add a ton of extra flavour into this soup, so cook off those spices well! Have a nibble and make sure it’s tasty, then tweak as needed. Some of the flavour will seep into the soup, but most stays on the beef;
Add everything else – Add the vegetables that can sustain a 25 minute simmer along with all the broth ingredients (tomato, beef stock, water, remaining spices) and give it big stir;
Simmer for 25 – 30 minutes for the lentils to soften and tomato to break down so it thickens the sauce. TIP: Older dried lentils take longer to cook, so really old ones might take 35 minutes. Add the faster-cooking vegetables partway through, and based on how long they take to cook. I added the diced zucchini and green beans after 15 minutes – so they cooked for 10 minutes. This was more than sufficient to cook them through until soft and to soak up broth flavour; and
Serve! Because I went for a Moroccan flavour for the base recipe, I finished with a dollop of yogurt and some fresh coriander. I will pop a list of suggested finishes for other spice mix combinations in the recipe card.
The soup broth is thickened by the starch from the lentils and the crushed tomatoes that are simmered so they break down.
Why I love this Beef & Lentil Soup
This is a soup that ticks a lot of boxes for me:
✔️ Quick to make using any vegetables I have (great fridge clean-out dish!) and no chopping meat;
✔️ You can give it kapow! flavours by really dialling up the spices as much as you like. It’s easy to figure: Just add and taste, add and taste! As written it is just nicely spiced to give it a bit of interest, but intentionally not in-your-face spicing (I save my real spice bombing for curries);
✔️ It’s very economical and versatile. Change up the spices to whatever you’re feeling like today!
✔️ Freezes 100% perfectly and keeps for days in the fridge; and
✔️ It’s a complete, healthy meal in one pot: Meat, starch and lots of vegetables. No need to make a separate side!
Hope you enjoy! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Beef & Lentil Soup with vegetables
Ingredients
My Moroccan Spice Mix (or change it up! Note 1):
- 2 1/2 tbsp Moroccan spice mix (store-bought) , any brand is fine, I used this one
- 1 tsp allspice (mixed spice will work too)
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp paprika
- 3/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt (Note 2)
Soup:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped
- 1 onion , finely chopped (brown, white, or yellow)
- 500g / 1lb beef mince (ground beef) (I use lean)
- 1 1/4 cups dried lentils (or 2 cans, drained, Note 3)
- 2 carrots *, cut into 1cm / 1/3” dice
- 2 celery stalks *, chopped into 1cm / 1/3”pieces
- 2 zucchinis *(small, or 1 large), cut into 1cm / 1/3” dice
- 100g / 4 oz green beans *, trimmed, cut into 1.5cm / 1/2” pieces
- 800g / 28 oz crushed canned tomato
- 4 cups / 1 litre beef stock , low sodium (Note 4)
- 3 cups water
Serving:
- Yogurt (plain or Greek)
- 1/4 cup Coriander/cilantro leaves, or sliced green onions
Instructions
- Mix spices in a small bowl.
- Saute onion & garlic: Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Cook onion and garlic for 3 minutes until golden on the edges.
- Brown & spice beef: Turn heat up to high, add beef and cook until it's no longer red, breaking it up as you go. Add 2 tablespoons of the Spice Mix and cook it for a further 2 minutes – it will smell so good!
- Carrot & celery: Add carrot and celery, then stir for 1 minute. (If using your own veg mix, add the veg in this step that will hold up to full 25 min simmer time)
- Make broth: Add water, beef stock, canned tomato, lentils and remaining Spice Mix too. Give it a stir, bring to simmer, then place lid on and reduce to medium low so it's simmering gently. Lentils will take 25 – 30 minutes to cook until soft. Very old lentils can take 5 – 10 minutes longer.
- Simmer 15 minutes then add zucchini & green beans.
- Simmer 10 minutes longer or until lentils are soft (ie. 25 minutes total).
- Serve! Taste and add more salt if desired. Ladle into bowls and serve with yogurt and coriander.
Recipe Notes:
1. Spice mix – Lots of possibilities here. It’s easy to judge quantity by adding bit by bit and tasting as you go! I’ve used a handy simple Moroccan Spice Mix option to give this a flavour boost with minimal effort. But some other suggestions:
- Mexican – You can totally cheat and use a packet of taco seasoning (1 pack is the perfect amount) or use the Homemade Taco Seasoning recipe in this Taco Soup. Serve with dollop of sour cream and shredded cheese, corn chips or warm tortillas for dunking. SO GOOD!
- Indian – Use a good dose of your favourite curry powder (packet, or mix up as you like) with a touch of Garam Masala for extra authentic flavour! I would use at least 1 tbsp curry in the beef + 1 tsp Garam Masala, then the same in the broth. Add chilli powder or cayenne for heat! Serve with yogurt and coriander/cilantro;
- Greek style – Double the garlic, add 1 tbsp oregano leaves and 2 teaspoons ground fennel seeds into the beef. Follow recipe as written, finish with the zest of 1 lemon + lemon juice to taste. Flatbread for dunking!
- Italian – Add 2 – 3 teaspoons of Italian herb mix into the beef, plus a teaspoon more into the broth, plus a pinch of chilli flakes. Stir in 1/2 cup of grated parmesan and finish with a sprinkling of extra parmesan. Serve with crusty bread. SO GOOD!
- Cajun – Use a good Cajun spice mix! Add a tablespoon into the beef, then add more to taste into the broth – just taste and simmer.
- Middle Eastern Shawarma-flavour – Make it from scratch yourself using the spice mix in this Lamb Shawarma Chickpea Soup recipe.
- Sauté the onion, celery and carrots together on medium low for 8 minutes – this will form a terrific soffrito flavour base to compensate;
- Use 4 cubes or 4 teaspoons powder and 1 litre / 4 cups water (in place of beef stock).
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
He always gets the last bite lick:
Love this soup never have used any spices in my cooking but wow hearty and so tasty thank you so much for this recipe❤️❤️❤️
Thanks very much Nagi.
This recipe looks exactly what I’m looking for. I will make it today, but writing this in case I get distracted.
I’ll definitely look for more of your recipes. 🙂
Wow whole family loved this soup. I am quite fussy and it was really yummy and instead of mince I used beef bones then removed the meat and put in the soup after.
I made a pan of homemade cornbread to go with this soup and it was delicious! Thank you once again.
Coming down with bad cold and my taste bud has gone haywire. This soup is just perfect, I’ve gained my appetite to eat and definitely love the spice combination in this soup. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I am rather hard to please, and I was a little apprehensive about beef mince in soup, but I couldn’t have been more impressed with this recipe. I made some slight adustments, such as using 4 teaspoons of moroccan spice mix and 2 beef stock cubes in 6 cups of water. It was an extremely flavoursome recipe, and I think that the combination of Morrocan spice with the beef and tomato is just a great symphony of flavours. Plus, this recipe is absolutely packed with vegetables and has lentils as well. Just a win win all the way round. Well done
Wonderful to hear Joseph! – Nxx
I would like to make this soup but not clear whether to add the other seasonings following the Moroccan spice mix
Nagi – thank you for another truly scrumptious recipe!
My friend made it last week and gave me some and it was sooooo good – so today I’m making it myself. We both love your website.
I love soup recipes as I get very large ulcers in my throat / on my tongue because of my auto immune disease, so eating becomes very painful. A tasty soup helps! Thank you.
I’m so sorry to hear of your disease Brigette, that must be so hard!! I’m so happy that you’ve found some of my recipes suitable for you though!! ❤️ N x
Thank you Nagi – when I don’t have ulcers I make heaps of your other recipes. Particularly love your butter chicken and your apple cinnamon teacake and your Caesar salad … oh, I could go on and on! You make it all so simple for us home cooks. Much love and appreciation from me xo
PS: I didn’t realise the soup made so much! How awesome! So I’m spreading the love and giving some to my Aunty and some to my cousin as I’m one of those people who shows their love through food.
I have some frozen okra and holy trinity that needs to be used, so I thought I would try to make the cajun version of this tonight. I am trying to decide how much Cajun seasoning to use. Most of it has salt, so I may try to make my own saltless variety so I can ensure it doesn’t end up too salty.
How did it go? I just saw your comment and thought “hell yeah!”
Plus some andouille sausage (or the more easily accessible chorizo , here in Australia) and you would have a great Cajun flavoured soup !
Thank you Nagi. So good. Halved recipe. Used 250-300 grams of minced steak. Home grown small tomatoes and a bit of tomato paste. Used 2 rather mild home grown chillies – chopped up with onions, celery, carrot etc. Moroccan spice mix a big winner in this. (As you suggest, garam masala etc would also be great). Used canned lentils – next time will use dried.
This worked out great. I wanted a thick stew-like consistency so I didn’t use the water. Plenty of leftovers
That’s great to hear Emme!! N x
This was excellent! Thank you so much.
I can’t believe how tasty this was. My 8 month old, 2.5 yr old and husband all LOVED it. This is in the mealtime rotation now until the end of time!
Wahoo, that’s awesome Fiona!! N x
My boyfriend and I were blown away by the flavors in this soup. It’s the first time I’ve had lentils. will definitely make it again.
Thank you for another fabulous recipe. I’ve never had lentils before, but my boyfriend loves lentil soup. We were both blown away by this one. The flavor is amazing. Had a nice crusty baguette with it. Yummy.
Thank you Nagi! Another winner. So hearty and healthy. We replaced the celery with broccoli and added it in with the green beans. We also toasted some sourdough to accompany the meal and it was delicious!
I made the beef & lentil soup. It’s so yummy! The spices mingle together with the beef and lentils, and give it a rich flavor. Best lentil soup I ever had!
Are red lentils okay for this? 🙂
Yes that’s fine Edwina 🙂 N x
Hello Nagi,
Just would like to ask what type of lentils to use for this recipe. I usually use red lentils to make dhall cury, COles has varieties of lentils and I am not sure which one to get. Would really appreciate your reply, Thank you
Hi Justina, I mention this in note 3 🙂 N x
Thank you very much.
I made the soup today, I added Ras el nout from my pantry as I couldn’t find the Moroccan spice. The best soup ever with my favourite ingredients vegetables & lentils and my partner’s favourite beef ! 😋😋😋
I served with a crusty sourdough and this recipe is for keeping for sure.
Thank you
P.s – Tomorrow night I’m cooking your beef cheeks recipe !
Hello Nagi. Question in regards to spices, If I made homemade Morocan spices do I take 2 1/2 tablespoons of the Moroccan spices + the other spices below this or, one or the other? I mean either the Moroccan spices or the other spices? I think it is a lot, no?
I made this last night, and used the link to the Moroccan 7 spice mix recipe – used 2.5 tbsp of that plus the additional spices listed in the recipe. The only thing I found is that the black pepper from the 7 spice mix recipe about completely over-powers everything else, I’d recommend reducing the pepper by at least half if you’re making the 7 spice mix on your own.
Would love to make this, but am a little confused. Do I use your spice mix with cumin, allspice, etc… AND the Moroccan spice mix from the link to the Silk Road blog? Or just one or the other. Please let me know as I don’t want to screw it up as it looks and sounds delicious! Thanks in advance for a response.
Hi Dawn – it’s the moroccan spice mix or one of the mixes in note 1 🙂 N x
Goin’ Moroccan tonight! I am cutting back on the black pepper though. 1/3 cup seems excessive in the blend. Maybe a tablespoon in addition to the pepper in your spices. Thanks Nagi! Give Dozer a rub for me